"The majority of Pennsylvanians ...may be surprised to hear that same-sex couples can marry on Sunday and get fired for it on Monday." - Rep. Dan Frankel

Dozens of leaders from the faith and business community on Monday joined legislators and equality advocates at the state Capitol to call for an end to laws that discriminate people based on their sexual orientation and identity.

Participants of the press conference - sponsored by EqualityPa, an advocacy group - called for support of two companion bills in the General Assembly - State Bill 300 and a corresponding bill in the House by the same name - that would prohibit discrimination in housing, the workplace and public accommodations.

Rep. Dan Frankel, (D-Allegheny), and co-chair of the LGBT Caucus, called it a paradox the marriage equality is now guaranteed in Pennsylvania, but not protection against sexual orientation discrimination.

"Marriage equality is now the law in Pennsylvania, and that is wonderful news," Frankel said. "However, the majority of Pennsylvanians who support equality in civil marriage may be surprised to hear that same-sex couples can marry on Sunday and get fired for it on Monday. That's just wrong."

In addition to a little more than a dozen legislators, Frankel, a co-sponsor of the House bill, was flanked by a dozen or so faith leaders, a small cadre of the more than 300 and more faith leaders across the state that have spoken out in support of the proposed legislation. Among the denominations that have lent their support are: Conservative Judaism, the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Mennonite Church, Reform Judaism, the United Methodist Church and the Old Catholic Church.

Frankel said that more than half of the state Senate and House respectively support the legislation. He called that transformational, adding that Pennsylvania had taken the right side of history on marriage equality and now had to end discrimination of the LGBT community.

"It's time for us to finally end the last vestiges of legalized discrimination in Pennsylvania," he said.

Sen. Larry Farnese, (D-Phila.), said it was "ludicrous to imagine" that he was once again talking about ending legalized discrimination.

"It's embarrassing, it's sad and it's wrong," he said. "The fact that we have to continue to do this to get movement on this and to basically get folks to wake up....it is backwards. It is embarrassing that we are standing here today and we are still trying to get this legislation in a position that it will pass."

Farnese said it "was disgusting" that there "are people in this building that have made it clear they will do what they possibly can to prevent this bill from becoming law."

Farnese seemingly referred to Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, who has introduced bills that would provide a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Rep. Mike Fleck, Pennsylvania's first openly gay legislator, said that despite a slew of misinformation circulated regarding gay rights, he had no doubt the anti-discrimination legislation would pass. He called misinformation insulting.

"There is no doubt in my mind that it will pass," he said. "If it's not this session it will be one day very soon."

Rep. Brian Sims, D-Phila., also alluded to Metcalfe, as being "one person keeping" the proposed legislation from being passed. Sims, who last year introduced a marriage equality bill, said he was furious that one man was standing in the way of an anti-discrimination law.

"It impacts me personally and professionally every day of my life," he said. "It is high time this legislation became law. It is an embarrassment to us as Pennsylvanians when we look at our neighbors and see how far they've come on civil rights."

Rabbi Carl Choper, president of the Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania, said the faith community long ago recognized a moral line that could not be crossed - that of discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation and identity.

"Discrimination is immoral because it attacks a person's dignity it says they have no place in our society," he said. "It is an act of social, economic and spiritual violence."

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